Main Dish: Duck Breast with Port Reduction

And now for the main attraction! (Sorry to my readers who don’t eat meat, I don’t have any alternative suggestions for you today)

I’ve made duck a handful of times, using the same recipe time-after-time. Why? Because it’s delicious, savory, and not too complicated. I’ll admit, it’s not exactly pretty. But it tastes wonderful.

The first time I was going to make duck at home (about 4 years ago when I was still living with roommates), I went through hundreds of recipes online, looking for just the right one. My Nana had suggested duck l’orange, immediately afterwards reminiscing on how the duck was oily and she only made it the one time, never revisiting the recipe. I was determined not to make the duck using this recipe for fear of a similar lackluster experience.

Instead, the recipe I’m sharing today came about by researching like crazy then making something entirely different. I wish I could recall which recipes are mashed-up to create this dish, but it’s changed so often over the years that the recipe has since become my own.

Have you recently made a dish that started as a found recipe but has, over time, become your own?

Duck Breast

Ingredients

3 duck breasts – approximate cost $30.00

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt – approximate cost $0.15

1 teaspoon black pepper – approximate cost $0.10

3 teaspoons grapeseed oil – approximate cost $0.30

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Score the skin on each duck breast.

Season each piece with sea salt and black pepper.

Heat 1 teaspoon of grapeseed oil in a frying pan on medium-low heat.

Place the duck breast, skin side down, in the frying pan.

Cook until the layer of fat under the skin begins to reduce and the skin is browned.

Turn and cook until the flesh is browned.

Remove to a baking dish.

Pour any remaining oil/fat into a separate pot.

Repeat for the remaining duck breasts.

Move baking dish with duck breasts to the oven.

Bake until the juices run clear (about 15-20 minutes).

Allow duck breasts to rest at room teamperature for 5 minutes before serving.

Port Reduction

Ingredients

Leftover duck fat/grapeseed oil from cooking

2 cups chicken stock – approximate cost $2.00

3/4 cup port wine – approximate cost $2.00

1 sprig fresh thyme – approximate cost $0.25

Method

Combine chicken stock, fat/oil, port, and thyme in a pot.

Bring to a boil then reduce to medium heat.

Cook for about 30-45 minutes (or until reduced by about half), there should be about 1 1/4 cups of liquid

Strain thyme from mixture.

Drizzle over duck breasts and pour remaining sauce into a bowl for serving.

Thanks Mel! Yes, you should definitely try duck at some point! It is quite fatty, so read up on the preparation (or ask your local butcher) how to cook it for the best results. Actually, that’s how I learned to cook the duck initially… I asked a butcher! Then I chose a sauce to go with it.